Posts Tagged ‘exhibition’

Kitchen Power: National Parallels online symposium

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Kitchen Power: National Parallels is an international online symposium which looks at the parallels and differences between mid-century modern kitchens in national contexts from Ireland to Spain, Scandinavia, Canada and South Korea.

The Kitchen Power exhibition in the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life in County Mayo, Ireland, looks at the promised lifestyle and everyday reality of rural electrification and the effect that it had on the lives of Irish women. This symposium brings together a selection of international academics in design, architecture and technology history to look at how issues surrounding domesticity, gender and technology played out in a wide range of national contexts. The papers look at the gendered nature of kitchen design, the consumption and promotion of electric appliances, the impact of rural electrification programmes, and the role of women’s organisations, as well as the different ways in which international ideas about ‘modern homes’ were implemented.

The symposium is convened by Dr Sorcha O’Brien (NCAD), co-curator of the Kitchen Power exhibition, and is run in partnership between the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life and NCAD. It is also supported by a Design History Society Virtual Event Grant.

Speakers include:
• Dr Fredie Floré, KU Leuven
• Dr Ana María Fernández García, Universidad de Oviedo
• Dr. Sophie Gerber, Technisches Museum Wien
• Maria Göransdotter, Umeå Institute of Design
• Dr Yunah Lee, University of Brighton
• Dr Sorcha O’Brien, NCAD
• Prof Barbara Penner, Bartlett School of Architecture
• Prof Ruth Sandwell, University of Toronto

The four sessions will run over two days on the 16th and 17th September 2020, and the free tickets for each session can be booked here.
The symposium will also be broadcast on YouTube on the NCAD Gallery channel, and videos will be available on the National Museum of Ireland website.

Kitchen Power exhibition reopens

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Post-War vacuums on display at the Kitchen Power exhibition, National Museum of Ireland - Country Life
Post-War vacuums on display at the Kitchen Power exhibition, National Museum of Ireland – Country Life

As Ireland moves to Stage 3 of the Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life has reopened to the public on 29th July 2020, including the Kitchen Power exhibition.

 

Details of this reopening can be found on the Museum website, but they include increased cleaning and hygiene measures, a queue system for entry, physical distancing and the wearing of face masks. This also means that interactive elements of the exhibitions won’t be accessible for the moment, but will shortly appear on the museum website.

 

The good news is that the Kitchen Power exhibition run has been extended to January 8th 2021, so there will be a lot more time to visit. We are also planning some online events, so watch this space for details!

Kitchen Power #MuseumFromHome

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As the Kitchen Power exhibition is currently closed, due to the arrival of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Ireland, I have been making daily posts on social media about some of the objects in the exhibition. The idea is to give viewers an idea of some of the Irish objects that were collected for the exhibition, including ones from the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life collection, and loans from the ESB Archives, the Irish Agricultural Museum and private collectors. This blog post collects the first set of tweets about exhibition objects, which I started in response to the #MuseumFromHome hashtag on Twitter. I’ve also posted these to Facebook and Instagram, as well.

Electric Irish Homes textile art project

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The Electric Irish Homes textile art project brought together a group of Mayo women with artist Anna Spearman, who was commissioned through Age & Opportunity to develop a response to the research material through the medium of textiles. Watch the short video made by Brian Cregan documenting this process – the full 10 minute version is on display in the Kitchen Power exhibition, along with the finished art works, at the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life.

Media coverage of the Kitchen Power exhibition, July 2019

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RTE Six One News

 

The Kitchen Power exhibition has received quite a bit of coverage on Irish TV and radio and in the newspapers in the last couple of weeks and I wanted to do a round-up of all that coverage here.

 

Television Coverage

RTÉ One News bulletin, 19th July, 1pm, starts approx. 12:30 (page opens in new window)
Segment by Pat McGrath, Western Correspondent (interviews with Sorcha, Deirdre McParland from the ESB Archives and Noreen Durken)

 

RTÉ Six One News bulletin, 19th July, 6pm, starts approx. 33:30 (page opens in new window)
Segment by Pat McGrath, Western Correspondent (interviews with Sorcha, Deirdre McParland from the ESB Archives and Noreen Durken)

 

Radio Coverage

RTÉ Radio 1, Morning Ireland, 19th July (page opens in new window)
‘Exhibition showcasing experiences of rural electrification opens in Co Mayo’ (interviews with Sorcha and Deirdre McParland from the ESB Archives, and clips from Ciunas Bunworth, Rose Mac Hugh and Noreen Durken)

 

Midwest Radio, 22nd July (audio to come)
Article featuring Mary Ann Egan and Josephine Scannell (page opens in new window)

 

Culture File, RTÉ Lyric FM, 23rd July, starts approx. 2:08:00 (page opens in new window)
Lorcan Murray’s Classic Drive (featuring an interview with Sorcha and clips from Maureen Gavan and Ciunas Bunworth)

 

Newspaper Coverage

Connaught Telegraph, 19th July (page opens in new window)
‘Mary Robinson launching Turlough exhibition on women’s experiences of rural electrification’

 

Irish Daily Star, 20th July (scanned image opens in new window)
Laura Colgan, ‘Gadgets n Girl Power’

 

Irish Examiner, 21st July (page opens in new window)
Ellie O’Byrne, ‘How electric-powered kitchen appliances revolutionised life for rural Ireland’s women in the 50s’ (interviews with Sorcha and Eileen Aylward)

 

Western People, 22nd July (scanned PDF opens in new window)
Paul O’Malley, ‘New exhibition revisits rural electrification / Ireland’s ‘quiet revolution” (interviews with Sorcha, Ciunas Bunworth, Maura McGuinness, Brigid O’Brien, Deirdre McParland from the ESB Archives, and Noel Campbell, NMI – Country Life)

 

Mayo Advertiser, 26th July (page opens in new window)
‘Former President launches Kitchen Power – Women’s Experiences of Rural Electrification’

 

Irish Independent, 2nd August (pageopens in new window)
Kirsty Blake Knox, ”Electric ‘heaven’: How women escaped drudgery of domesticity’ (quotes from Maureen Gavan and Noreen Durken)

 

Web Coverage

ESB Archives blog post, 24th July (page opens in new window)
‘Launch of ‘Kitchen Power’ exhibition’

 

Agriland.ie, 27th July (page opens in new window)
Caroline Allen, ‘Shining a light on women’s experiences of rural electrification’

 

The Journal.ie, 28th July (page opens in new window)
Orla Dwyer,”They can’t believe how we lived’ – How electricity cut down the drudgery of life in rural Ireland’ (interviews with Maura McGuinness and Bridie Tapley)

 

Woman’s Way, 30th July (page opens in new window)
Kitchen Power – Women’s Experiences of Rural Electrification

The Kitchen Power exhibition runs until July 2020 at the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life.

 

Kitchen Power launched at the National Museum of Ireland, July 2019

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The Kitchen Power exhibition was launched on Friday 19th July by Mrs. Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland. Mrs. Robinson gave a speech where she linked the impact that rural electrification had on women in rural Ireland with the efforts to combat the climate crisis through feminist solutions, including access to water and electricity in undeveloped areas of the world. Despite some heavy rain, the launch was very well attended, including participants in both the oral history and textile art project, as well as local dignitaries.



Mary Robinson launching the Kitchen Power exhibition

Mary Robinson launching the Kitchen Power exhibition, with one of Olafur Eliasson’s Little Suns. Photo by Joseph O’Brien


Dr O'Brien, staff of the National Museum of Ireland and the ESB, and interview participants with Mary Robinson

L-R: Brigid O’Brien, ICA member and interview participant; Cllr Michael Kilcoyne, Cathaoirleach Castlebar Council; Noreen Durken, ICA member, interview and textile art project participant; Brendan Delany, ESB; Cllr Brendan Mulroy, Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council; Mrs. Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland; Catherine Heaney, Chair of the Board of the National Museum of Ireland; Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland; Noel Campbell, Curator, National Museum of Ireland – Country Life; Dr. Sorcha O’Brien, Curator, Kingston University, London. Photo courtesy of the NMI


Maura McGuinness presenting Mary Robinson with a textile craft kit

Maura McGuinness presenting Mary Robinson with a textile craft kit. Photo by Joseph O’Brien


Sorcha O'Brien and interview participant Brigid O'Brien showing Mary Robinson the oral histories

Sorcha O’Brien and interview participant Brigid O’Brien showing Mary Robinson the oral histories. Photo courtesy of the NMI


Interview participants inspecting the Kitchen Power exhibition

Lynda Dunne, Josephine Scannell, Mary Ann Egan and Colm Scannell inspecting the Kitchen Power exhibition. Photo courtesy of the NMI


The curatorial and design team

The curatorial and design team L-R: Dr. Sorcha O’Brien, Kingston University, London; Noel Campbell, National Museum of Ireland – Country Life; Ann Scroope, Wendy Williams and Caroline O’Connor of Scroope Design


Oral history interview participants Biddle Lawlor and Rachel Botha, both from Kilkenny, at the Kitchen Power exhibition opening. Photo courtesy of Rachel Botha.

Oral history interview participants Biddle Lawlor and Rachel Botha, both from Kilkenny, at the Kitchen Power exhibition opening. Photo courtesy of Rachel Botha.


National Museum exhibition programme launched

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Left to Right: Lynn Scarff, Dr. Sorcha O'Brien, Nigel Monaghan & Dr. Audrey Whitty

Left to Right: Lynn Scarff, Dr. Sorcha O’Brien, Nigel Monaghan & Dr. Audrey Whitty

We’ve been working very hard behind the scenes, so have been rather quiet on here as a result. However, the National Museum of Ireland launched its 2019 exhibition programme this week, including the first press about our exhibition, which you can read about in their press release here: National Museum of Ireland reveals 2019 programme highlights (opens in new window)

 

There are two articles in the Irish press about this programme launch so far: in The Journal Ireland’s wars, the first Dáil and rural electrification – A look at the National Museum of Ireland’s 2019 programme and Hot Press National Museum of Ireland Announces 2019 Exhibitions (both links open in new windows)

 

Kingston Research Week Exhibition

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The events of Kingston Research Week were intended to highlight the different forms of research being carried on within the University, and the Kingston School of Art participation included a series of research talks and an exhibition in the Platform Gallery in Knights Park campus, running from 3rd to the 7th April.

 

Opening of the Kingston University Research Week Exhibition, Knights Park campus

Opening of the Kingston University Research Week Exhibition, Knights Park campus

 

Sorcha gave a talk on the research project on the Tuesday, outlining the overall breadth of the project, as well as the progress of the research. This particularly dealt with the usefulness of oral history as a methodology, not only providing confirmation of archival sources, but providing Irish women’s own perspectives on the changes brought by rural electrification some 50 or 60 years on.

The exhibition included an installation of clips from the oral history interviews collected so far, covering women’s experiences before and after rural electrification, as well as contributions from ESB demonstration staff and the role of the ICA. The looping audio received particular attention from students and staff alike, largely because it allowed them to hear the voices of the interviewees themselves speaking about their experience.

 

Research Week installations showing Geraldine O'Reilly talking about her FAM washing machine

Research Week installation showing Geraldine O’Reilly talking about her FAM washing machine